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Bullying Law Training Update

The Safe and Supportive Schools Act (“Act”), widely known as the anti-bullying law, contains new requirements that school districts and charter schools must implement by the start of the upcoming school year. These new requirements include, among others:

Revising bullying and related policies;

Training staff and volunteers;

Responding to and conducting investigations into reports of bullying;

Notifying parents and students of the bullying policies and individual instances of bullying.

Our qualified attorneys can assist your school or district in complying with the new law with the following training sessions:

Training for All Employees. This training session includes an overview of the type of bullying conduct the Act prohibits as well as conduct that continues to be prohibited under state and federal anti-harassment and discrimination laws. The training will inform staff of their reporting obligations and the consequences that may result if procedures are not followed.

Training for Administrators/Support Staff. Along with the information provided in the Training for All Employees, this session focuses on the Act’s procedural obligations. The training reviews necessary policy revisions, staff/student training requirements, investigation procedures and notice obligations. The training also will provide guidance on best practices for conducting investigations and addressing cyberbullying.

Each session will include written handouts. Administrator training also will include checklists, sample forms, and notices. Each training session may be scheduled in 60 to 90 minute increments, depending on your school’s needs. We also can assist schools in planning or presenting informational sessions on your school’s bullying policy to students and parents.

We understand that the legislature did not provide funding to assist schools in meeting their obligations under the Act. With that in mind, we have designed this program so that it may be provided at a low cost with discounts for each additional presentation requested.

Any of our attorneys would be glad to discuss with you the specific training and other services we can provide and may be contacted at (612) 339-0060.

About Jennifer Earley

Jennifer K. Earley is a shareholder at Ratwik, Roszak & Maloney, P.A. she has over two decades of experience representing school districts on day-to-day matters. She is legal counsel to many school districts across the State of Minnesota, handling a wide variety of school law issues ranging from student discipline to employee termination to labor relations. She is a frequent speaker and provides training to district administrators and staff on many issues including data privacy, the Open Meeting Law, bullying, harassment, discrimination, and employee discipline. Ms. Earley graduated from William Mitchell College of Law, where she was a published author in the William Mitchell Law Review. When she is not representing school districts, she is a proud hockey mom of two boys.